Guess I Should Be Ashamed
by Halawen
Summary: The case against Asher was dropped but with some help from Jay, Emma, Lucas and Toby she'll get justice her own way. One shot featuring Spinner and Kendra too. A bit of drama, a bit of fluff. Read A/Ns.


**Welcome to tonight's shot. As you know the fact that they never completer the Asher storyline drove me nuts and spawned a million plot bunnies and this is one of those.**

 **Legal: I own nothing but the idea.**

 **Important things to know about this shot:**

 ***Takes place just after Ray of Light**

 ***Emma and Spinner are married**

 ***Toby and Kendra are married**

 ***Lucas works as a bouncer at a club**

 ***Jay still works at Tony's garage**

 **This is a bit of fluff and a bit of drama I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Guess I Should Be Ashamed**

 **(CLARE)**

"The case was dropped?"

"I'm sorry Clare but an investigation failed to produce any evidence to formally charge Asher and the case has been closed. I am sorry Clare," the lawyer says before hanging up.

I scream with anger tossing my phone across my room. Asher kissed me, he assaulted me in his car and he's going to get away with it!

"No!" I declare to myself, "No he will not get away with this. If the law won't do anything then I'll get my own justice."

I begin thinking of a plan, something better than yelling at Asher or going to the cops. Something that will truly expose him, I need someone that's familiar with criminal thinking. I need a thief and the only thief I can think of is Jay Hogart. I haven't seen him since Spinner and Darcy broke up and I doubt he'll remember me. He used to work at Tony's Garage so I decide to start there. I tell Jake I'm taking the truck and drive to Tony's garage.

"I'm looking for Jay Hogart," I tell the man at the desk.

"Who are you?"

"An old friend," I reply although I'll be lucky if Jay even remembers me.

"He's on lunch but he'll be back in a few moments."

"Thanks," I reply and go outside again. I lean on the truck and wait for Jay to appear. He drives in a moment later and I walk over to him. "Jay," I announce my presence and he looks at me. He furrows his brow wondering who I am and then I see a slight glint of recognition cross his face.

"Hey it's…you."

"Clare Edwards, Darcy's little sister," I remind him.

"Right, you look a lot different. So what's up your truck broken or something?"

"No the truck is fine but I do need your help. What are you doing after work can we meet for dinner?"

"Uh sure, I'm off at six," he replies slowly.

"Great I'll meet you back here," I smile.

I get back in the truck and go home to work out a plan, something that will expose Asher and bring me justice and hopefully not get me into trouble, or at least get caught. I leave a little before six and wait in the parking lot for Jay to come out.

"I'm starving there's a diner around the corner," Jay remarks.

I walk with him to the diner and we order before I begin telling him what I need his help with. I recount everything that happened with Asher ending with the phone call this afternoon from the lawyer telling me the case had been dropped.

"He abused his position, he assaulted me and took away my trust. I know he's done it before and he'll do it again if we don't stop him. I can't approach him myself he knows me and I don't have the skills to break into his apartment or his office but from what I hear you do. I need a thief and you were the first one I thought of."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted but I don't want this creep to get away it so I'm in. Do you have a plan?"

"We need evidence, and we need more people. A hacker, a good one with better skills than Connor, someone that can break into Asher's work and personal computer, and maybe even his phone. And we'll need more muscle especially when you break into his apartment. Finally, we need a girl, Asher already knows me but if we can get another girl into a position to be working with him, even for a short time he's sure to make a move. Maybe she can wear a wire or something."

"Okay slow down. Lucas can be muscle, I still have his number and Emma she can be the girl. If you tell her what happened I'm sure she'll want to help. I'll call her tomorrow," Jay tells me as the waiter brings our food.

While we eat Jay asks me questions about Darcy which leads to questions about me and then Eli. By the time we're done eating he's pretty much been filled in on the last three years of my life. He pays for dinner even though I try take the check, and then we walk back to the garage and we exchange phone numbers before getting in our cars. I feel much better on the drive home and actually sleep pretty well that night dreaming of Asher getting what's coming to him.

Jay calls a little after noon the next day, Saturday, and says to meet at his place. He gives me his address but Jake is gone with the truck so I take the bus. When I get to Jay's place Emma is here, so is Lucas and a guy I don't recognize.

"Clare you've grown up so much," Emma says hugging me tightly. I only know Lucas by sight he was at DeGrassi for a couple months while I was in grade nine and I saw him with Jane.

"I've been filling them in, Lucas that's Darcy's kid sister. After I told Emma she thought Toby would be the perfect choice for a hacker. Clare, Toby; Toby Clare."

"Nice to meet you thanks for helping, all of you."

"I've started a background on Asher," Toby says turning on Jay's TV and some things appear on the screen. "Asher Shostak graduated from U of T and was offered a job at The Interpreter he worked his way to star reporter fairly quickly. He was married ten years ago to Sarah Brighton and she filed for divorce six months ago, the divorce was finalized three months ago. Asher and his boss Hilary Dormer are on good terms, actually I'd say their relationship borders on more than friendly. She paid his bail when he was arrested after you and Jennifer pressed charges and signed a sworn affidavit that Asher's never had an inappropriate relationship with any intern or colleague. Besides not having any physical evidence her affidavit was largely the reason the case was dropped," Toby informs us and I get even angrier as past actions begin to make more sense to me.

"I went to Hilary after Asher assaulted me in his car. I told her everything and she told me Asher reported me for sexual assault and she took his side. She fired me. She's always been on his side. I wonder if she's covered up more of his indiscretions? Toby can you dig into Hilary's background? Get into their schedules, their phones if you can," I request and Toby nods.

"Toby find out if Asher has an alarm, if we're going to be breaking into his apartment we need to know if he has an alarm," Jay comments.

While Toby digs into their backgrounds and schedules I explain to Emma what she needs to do. The first thing is getting her in to see Asher but I already know what kind of coffee Asher likes and where he gets it every morning. Emma is confident she can trap Asher, Jay and Lucas are looking forward to breaking into Asher's apartment, car and office. Toby works at a tech firm and brought us earbuds for wireless communication so we don't have to worry about using cell phones or anything. Between Toby telling us background and their schedules, Emma and I talking about how she should act and what she should do, and Jay and Lucas talking about breaking into places and me telling them what they should look for the time flies by.

"Oh boy it's four o'clock, Tobes you're still having dinner at our place tonight," Emma comments.

"Yeah I should probably get home and get Kendra," Toby says closing his laptop.

"Why don't you all come to dinner," Emma suggests.

"I'd love too but we can't tell Spin or anyone else what we're doing," I point out.

"No problem, I'll tell Spin that I took my car to Jay because it was making a funny noise. Where I ran into Lucas who's dating Clare," Emma remarks.

"What?!" I exclaim at the mention of Lucas and I dating but Lucas puts his arm around me.

"I have to go pick up some food, you three be at our place in an hour," Emma says.

She and Toby leave and I talk with Jay and Lucas a bit more. Lucas keeps his arm around me the whole time which is both odd and comforting. We go in Jay's car to Spinner and Emma's place. Jay rings the bell and Emma answers letting us in.

"Spin Honey I invited a few more people to dinner," Emma calls into the house.

"Hey Jay," Spinner grins and shakes his hand. "Hi Clare," Spinner grins and hugs me tightly.

"The car was acting funny so I took it to Jay and Lucas was there and he's dating Clare so I invited them all," Emma explains. When Emma tells him Lucas and I are dating Spinner freezes, his eyes going wide and his mouth dropping open.

"You and Clare? How did you even meet?" Spinner asks.

"I stopped by DeGrassi last week and saw Clare, I asked her to dinner and we began dating that night," Lucas says making a story on the spot.

Spinner opens his mouth to say something but the doorbell rings again and he decides to answer it instead of say what he was going to say. Spinner opens the door and Toby comes in with a woman I assume is Kendra.

"Clare this is my sister Kendra and her husband Toby," Spinner introduces us.

"Dinner's ready everyone sit down," Emma announces.

We don't talk of Asher or our plan over dinner. Nor do we mention that I met Toby this afternoon and Lucas seems to be enjoying pretending to be dating me although I have no idea why. By the end of the evening I'm enjoying it too, well at least enjoying being with Lucas. Jay takes Lucas and I home dropping me off first. I sleep well although my dreams are invaded by Lucas.

Sunday morning Toby sends me a text that he's made a new identity for Emma and Jay will go with Lucas tomorrow morning to break into Asher's apartment while he's at work. I'll be able to hear it all on the earbud while I'm at school. Our plan is in motion and Asher will get what's coming to him!

 **(EMMA)**

I arrive at the coffee shop at six but I don't go in, I wait for Asher's car and walk in just ahead of him. We planned it this way it will attract his attention.

"Red eye double shot," I order when I get to the counter.

"Make that two," Asher says setting money down on the counter, "you have good taste," he grins at me, "I'm Asher Shostak."

"I know, I'm Christine Everhart but everyone calls me Chris," I smile shaking his hand and using the fake identity Toby made for me. I'm a bit old to be in high school but according to my fake backstory I'm a college sophomore.

"So Miss Everhart what do you do?" Asher asks me as we're handed our coffee.

"I'm a sophomore at U of T a journalism major and seeking a part-time job."

"My last intern quit unexpectedly, she couldn't handle it all. It's not paid normally but it's also for high school students. Given the circumstances and our need for a new intern perhaps we can work something out. Come with me," Asher says.

I follow him to The Interpreter offices and he goes into his boss's office. He talks to her a minute and then waves me in. She says they will hire me on a trial basis starting at ten hours a week for minimum wage. I fill out some paperwork and then get to work, thankfully my day job as a PR rep for an environmental cleanup company has rather flexible hours. And Spinner is used to me working crazy hours and coming home late, he works some pretty crazy hours himself as a cop.

Toby can hear everything through our comms, and he's recording everything Asher says although nothing really happens this morning. I do some fact-checking and Asher is gone for most of the time. When DeGrassi is on lunch we all meet up close to the school to eat and check-in. Jay and Lucas found a number of panties in Asher's apartment, ones that they're fairly certain don't belong to his wife. They also found a number of photographs of teenage girls. Most importantly they found evidence that Asher and Hilary are having an affair. Toby found further evidence of this in their e-mails. This Asher is a real pig and I'm looking forward to finding justice for Clare and every other girl Asher has ever wronged.

"Chris," Asher says when I get into The Interpreter the next morning, "come with me I need an assistant."

I go with him down to his car, the whole time we're driving all I can think is what he did to Clare in this car. He's talking about his work so I start asking him about his interns while playing to his ego. I ask him about his favorite intern and then compliment him on his career saying anyone would love to be his intern. Asher talks about interns he's had without naming any names or saying anything incriminating.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He asks when we park at city hall.

"I did but we broke up recently," I lie but it's part of the con. Asher just smiles and we go through security, he has interview with the mayor. I don't actually do anything just watch Asher. I don't even take notes because he records it on his phone. "I don't think you needed me there," I remark when we're back in his car.

"I needed the company," Asher grins. "Can you come back tonight? I'll need an assistant again."

"What time?" I ask him.

"Five," he says.

"No problem," I reply. I'll tell Spinner I'm working late.

"Em meet us for lunch," Toby says and I hear him in my ear.

When Asher parks I tell him I need to leave to get to class at the university and I go directly to my car. When I get to the restaurant everyone else is here.

"Asher might make a move tonight. He's moving faster than I thought but maybe it's that you're in college, or at least he thinks you are," Clare comments.

"Jay and I will be nearby in case you're in trouble and I got a button cam from a friend. We'll get it on you before you go in," Lucas says.

"Toby and I will be monitoring from here," Clare tells me.

"I'll be digging into Hilary's life as well, I've gone as deep as I can into Asher's," Toby remarks.

"We've already got enough to expose their affair now if we can just get proof of Asher's misconduct with interns we'll erase your fake identity and Asher will never be able to prove that we did anything," Clare smiles.

 **(CLARE)**

"Okay the button cam is on are you receiving audio and video Toby?" Lucas asks.

"Yep we're good," Toby calls.

"We'll be close and we'll follow you, if we think you're in trouble we'll be there in an instant," Jay assures Emma.

"Let's snag this bastard," Emma grins before leaving with Jay and Lucas.

I sit with Toby; Jay's place has become our headquarters. Toby's hooked up three monitors allowing us to see through Emma's button cam and what Toby is digging up on Hilary. I'm mostly watching Asher through Emma's button cam. Emma meets him upstairs and stays in his office a moment before they leave. He really doesn't say much of anything in the car, Emma does most of the talking, asking him about his career and trying to get him to admit to indiscretions but Asher stays rather quiet. While Asher is conducting his interview, and Emma is either trying not to be bored or not start yelling at this guy for unsafe environmental practices, I look at what Toby has dug up on Hilary.

"Can you copy all of their non-work related e-mails to each other?" I ask Toby.

"Already done, along with all their suggestive texts on their private phones and the number of phone calls at suspicious hours. I've also got all the charges for hotels in the area on their personal and corporate cards," Toby tells me.

"Awesome you are amazing," I grin.

"We got eyes on Emma and Asher they're leaving," Jay says over his com.

"Emma compliment his interview skills and tell him how much you want that life," I tell her. She doesn't respond because Asher would hear but I know she heard me.

"That was amazing, I never get tired of watching you break down a person's trust with a placed question. I want to be doing this, I want to have this life now school cannot possibly teach me all of this," Emma gushes.

"You'll get here; it will come with experience. I'm sure a smart girl like you will climb the ladder very fast," Asher comments.

"Em turn a little to face him," I instruct her and she does, now we can see what he's doing through her button cam.

"You know I can help open a lot of doors for you," Asher remarks and we see him move his arm, it looks like he brushes Emma's face. "I've done it for nearly all my past interns, opened doors for them that would never be opened with a word from me. As long as you don't fight," Asher tells her. Just hearing him use that tone of voice again makes my skin crawl.

"You want me to have sex with you?" Emma asks. She sounds scared but it's hard to tell if she's really scared or if she's acting.

"I want you to do so many things Chris," Asher says his voice oozing with lust and I nearly vomit.

"If I do this you'll guarantee my career?"

"You'll have an express elevator ride straight to the top," Asher tells her. He now moves his hand down to her leg and I'm very glad that Spinner is not a part of our plan because I'm pretty sure he'd be pulling over the car and ripping Asher's arm off right about now.

"Emma don't say anything just nod, but stop him if he tries to go too far in the car. Just tell him you don't want to do anything in his car. Get back to the garage at The Interpreter. Jay, Lucas be ready to extract her at the garage and try not to let Asher see your faces," I tell them.

"We'll take care of it," Lucas assures me.

"Toby did you get that footage?"

"Got it, put it together with everything else and already sent it to every newspaper, magazine, online blog and news station in all of Ontario. I've erased the e-mail address it was sent from and routed through a dozen IPs and twice as many proxy servers."

"Good then Asher and Hilary will be totally ruined by morning."

"We're nearly back at the garage we'll get Emma and come back to my place," Jay says.

"I don't guarantee that Asher won't be hurt," Lucas adds.

"Just don't kill him," I reply.

Asher pulls into the parking garage for the building, I know Jay and Lucas are right behind him. Emma starts to get out of the car but Asher grabs her hand.

"The office is nearly empty, let's go upstairs a…" Asher is telling her when Jay opens Emma's door and pulls her out while Toby and I watch though the button cam. We also hear Asher groaning.

"You're a fucking asshole pedophile, stay in your damn car," Lucas is saying and must be hurting Asher somehow as he continues to groan.

"Jay has Emma you guys need to get back," I tell Lucas.

"On our way," Jay says.

"The stories already out, news blogs leaked it and social media's already picked it up. Asher's professional life is over," Toby says and I smile.

"He's not going to get away with it, any of it."

Jay, Lucas and Emma return and we show them some of the stories on the blogs and the things being said on social media.

"I've obliterated Emma's fake identity and any trace that could lead to any of us," Toby says.

"We did it, all of us. Thank you I couldn't have gotten Asher without you guys and this is better than Asher going to court. He's ruined and so is Hilary, there is no way they can recover from this," I grin feeling a weight being lifted from that's been there since Asher kissed me.

"I should get home to Spinner but we should celebrate, dinner at our place this Friday to celebrate our victory. Toby bring Kendra," Emma says hugging me before leaving.

"You need a ride home Clare?" Lucas asks.

"Yeah thanks," I smile.

I say goodnight to Toby and Jay thanking them for everything. Lucas takes me home and I say goodnight to him. By morning the story is everywhere, it's been picked up by national news even by media outlets in the states. Asher and Hilary have been fired and their affair outed and that scandal is everywhere. The two of them are finished and now that Asher's admitted to affairs with interns on camera he's under investigation again.

Friday evening Lucas picks me up and drives us to Spinner and Emma's for the victory dinner. Everyone else is already here and Jay even brought a date, a girl he works with at the garage.

"So what are we celebrating?" Spinner asks.

"Clare and I are getting married," Lucas says and Spinner looks like he's about to have a heart attack.

"He's joking Spin, we're celebrating a victory," I assuage him.

"Thank goodness, victories are good things to celebrate," Spinner smiles with relief and Lucas takes my hand pulling me outside where we're alone.

"Now that we've dealt with Asher and seeing as Spinner and Kendra already think we're dating would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?" Lucas asks.

"I'd love to," I grin looping my arms around his neck and capturing his lips.

Asher is ruined, Hilary is ruined, I am free and ready to begin a new chapter of my life.

 **That does it for this shot. As this doesn't need a second chapter nothing goes up tomorrow but Tuesday will be the last chapter of** _ **First Time I Kissed Your Lips I Knew.**_


End file.
